Even a nap at lunchtime makes the brain ready to learn
Keystone-SDA
A midday nap can improve the brain’s ability to learn, according to a new Swiss study.
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Even a short nap is enough to open up connections between nerve cells for new information.
The study by the University of Geneva, the Centre for Sleep Medicine at the Geneva Hospital University and Fribourg University Hospital was published on Thursday in the scientific journal Neuriomage.
During the day, the connections between the nerve cells, the synapses, are strengthened by the processing of impressions. This leads to saturation, which reduces the ability to learn.
Sleep regulates this activity down again. “This synaptic reset already sets in after a midday nap,” said study leader Christoph Nissen.
High performance levels
For the study, the researchers observed 20 healthy young adults. On two afternoons, they either took a nap for an average of 45 minutes or stayed awake. Using non-invasive methods such as EEG measurements, the team drew conclusions about the strength of the synapses.
After the nap, synaptic activity in the brain was reduced. At the same time, the ability to form new connections was significantly improved. The brain was therefore better prepared for new learning content than after an equally long period of wakefulness.
According to the researchers, the findings could be used specifically to maintain performance in occupations with high mental demands.
But for chronic sleep disorders, behavioural therapy makes more sense than sleeping pills, as these could disrupt the natural recovery processes.
Translated from German by AI/mga
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